Years ago, LarryC started a very useful thread on how to make life easier on the faculty member that are defensible to chairs as being in the students' interest.
Quote from: larryc on October 11, 2011, 10:59:18 AM
I thought we should have a thread dedicated to sharing classroom policies that--however we might defend them in front of our department chair--really exist to make our lives easier. Here are some of mine (most of which I got from the rest of you over my years of reading these boards):
Policy: Drop the lowest quiz or even lowest two quizzes in case of weekly quizzes in survey classes.
How it makes life easier: No need to create makeup quizzes or to excuse absences or any of that. And no appeals to the dean over refusal to do these things. "You are going to miss class that day? No problem, we drop the two lowest quizzes and that will be one of yours. Just make sure you don't miss another."
Policy: No policy regarding attendance.
How it makes life easier: Again, no having to evaluate doctor's notes or sob stories. No having to take attendance (though I still do once a week because the college needs the records for financial aid). How do I prevent lecturing to an empty classroom? Frequent quizzes and a hefty class participation grade.
Policy: Use rubrics for grading feedback, but never assign point values to the categories.
How it makes life easier: Quick check boxes for the comments I would otherwise write out tens of times--"Needs more evidence" "Awkward sentence construction" "Improper citations." Students get lots of feedback with minimal effort. You can make students pre-grade their own papers with the rubric. No point values means you can use the rubric to justify the grade rather than to determine the grade, and also that there is no math to slow you down. Read the first page, glance at the rest, write a grade and check some boxes, repeat.
Policy: All make up exams will be blue book essay examinations.
How it makes life easier: Students dread the blue book and will bend over backwards to avoid it. I don't have to write a new test, just one big-ass comprehensive unanswerable question. Grading is also easy. The best students actually do pretty well in this format, the slackers fail hard.
Policy: Five page research paper due the first day of the second week of class.
How it makes life easier: This one is counter-intuitive but powerful. Students are confronted with the choice of writing a paper over a weekend when all of their friends are partying or dropping the class while they can still get their money back. Ten percent of the class will choose the latter--and they are the very students who would cause headaches the rest of the semester. The remaining students prioritize your class over their others and you get better work from them. Also, it is part of my Stockholm Syndrome teaching method--terrorize the students for the first couple of weeks, reward them the last weeks, and they will follow you to hell.
What about you guys? I know that the easiest thing of all is to become a classroom tyrant--No late anything ever! Miss two classes and you fail! But those are bullsh*t and also dramatically increase the odds of the student going to the chair or dean and wasting far more of your time than you thought you were saving in the first place. I am looking for humane, pedagogically sound time-saving strategies.
Post your favorite from that thread (https://www.chronicle.com/forums/index.php/topic,82798.0.html) or share your own policies as you reflect on the term just finished or the term for which you are prepping.
I've been a long-time lurker on the other forums and benefited enormously from reading them pretty much every day. I'm so excited about the new home and taking the opportunity to delurk.
My favorite humane course policy is the virtual tokens suggested in specifications grading. Students start the semester with a few tokens and they can spend them at will for giving themselves extensions, redoing assignments, or missing class without an excuse. It evens the playing field between "ask" and "guess" culture students, and I hope it gives students a heightened sense of autonomy over their work. It saves me from having to adjudicate every little thing, and enables students who make a weak start to the semester see a path to success.
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
Quote from: the_geneticist on May 22, 2019, 09:41:15 AM
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
I'm not in a lab situation, yet I also begin each class with a quiz for these reasons, as I mentioned on the old fora. Each quiz typically has 5 questions worth 10 points each, and they get 50 points for just showing up and writing their name. This grading scheme reduces the number of complaints I get about all the quizzes while still achieving the purposes for most students.
Policy: When students submit a written assignment in the CMS (Blackboard at my soon-to-be former place), they are instructed to upload the assignment file and to copy/paste the submission in the "write submission" box (or whatever the equivalent is).
How It Makes Life Easier: The copied/pasted submission function as a backup to the uploaded file. It's much easier for me to adjudicate cases of "I know I turned that in!," "I submitted the wrong assignment," or "that was my rough draft." If there really is a problem with a file (which is rare), I allow the student to resubmit and compare it to the copied/pasted submission.
Not surprisingly, complaints about "the computer ate my homework" have dropped significantly since I adopted this policy.
Quote from: pepsi_alum on May 22, 2019, 05:43:12 PM
Policy: When students submit a written assignment in the CMS (Blackboard at my soon-to-be former place), they are instructed to upload the assignment file and to copy/paste the submission in the "write submission" box (or whatever the equivalent is).
Love it. Syllabus changed.
I'm sure I read it somewhere on the fora but it works like magic...
Policy: I have assignments due either Sunday night before class or the night before class if it's one later in the week.
Benefits: if students are "late," it's easy for me to give them an extension without it interrupting anything, which makes me seem kind, plus they are less likely to skip class because they pulled an all-nighter trying to finish the assignment. If you are using blackboard or another system, it is trivially easy for them to submit things for the time and day of your choosing.
One downside: sometimes students come in expecting that I had already graded their assignment, even if it is a 9am class and they handed it in late the night before. Also, I have to carefully check my dates to make sure that I've gotten everything right later in the semester.
Quote from: genericusername on May 23, 2019, 08:21:14 PM
I'm sure I read it somewhere on the fora but it works like magic...
Policy: I have assignments due either Sunday night before class or the night before class if it's one later in the week.
Similar to this, I find that having 11:59PM deadlines with a 3-hour grace period (which means the deadline is really 2:59AM) greatly decreases the number of panicked emails I get pleading for extensions.
Quote from: pepsi_alum on May 23, 2019, 10:31:57 PM
Similar to this, I find that having 11:59PM deadlines with a 3-hour grace period (which means the deadline is really 2:59AM) greatly decreases the number of panicked emails I get pleading for extensions.
I tried something similar last semester, and it worked pretty well. In the fall, I had significant issues with students (a) coming to class late because they had not yet turned in their work (everything came in via Bb); (b) trying to upload their assignments
during class; or (c) not turning them in at all because of various tech issues ("my battery died," "I couldn't get a good wifi connection," etc).
So, for the spring, I set the assignments up to disappear right at the start of class, which eliminated issues (a) and (b). I then turned them back on after class, with a "grace period" to 11:59pm, to account for issue (c) and other matters. After 11:59, late penalties applied, no matter what the circumstances. But just about everyone got their stuff in on time, so I rarely had to apply the penalties.
Quote from: the_geneticist on May 22, 2019, 09:41:15 AM
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
We used to do this but stopped because of the amount of time required (as in they obviously weren't brief enough!). We currently have prelab assignments but some students just don't put the time into it.
Our "new"* goal is to do the quizzes/prelabs through the cms and allow students an unlimited number of tries to earn 100%. We hope this increases the student buy-in and gives us better prepared students in lab.
"new"* because it's not really a new goal. We just have had sooooo much free time to implement it.
Quote from: cc_alan on May 29, 2019, 01:23:59 PM
Quote from: the_geneticist on May 22, 2019, 09:41:15 AM
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
We used to do this but stopped because of the amount of time required (as in they obviously weren't brief enough!). We currently have prelab assignments but some students just don't put the time into it.
Our "new"* goal is to do the quizzes/prelabs through the cms and allow students an unlimited number of tries to earn 100%. We hope this increases the student buy-in and gives us better prepared students in lab.
"new"* because it's not really a new goal. We just have had sooooo much free time to implement it.
I give 3 tries; another colleague tried giving unlimited tries and claimed students didn't bother reading but just picking random answers instead. FWIW
Quote from: marshwiggle on May 30, 2019, 04:21:28 AM
Quote from: cc_alan on May 29, 2019, 01:23:59 PM
Quote from: the_geneticist on May 22, 2019, 09:41:15 AM
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
We used to do this but stopped because of the amount of time required (as in they obviously weren't brief enough!). We currently have prelab assignments but some students just don't put the time into it.
Our "new"* goal is to do the quizzes/prelabs through the cms and allow students an unlimited number of tries to earn 100%. We hope this increases the student buy-in and gives us better prepared students in lab.
"new"* because it's not really a new goal. We just have had sooooo much free time to implement it.
I give 3 tries; another colleague tried giving unlimited tries and claimed students didn't bother reading but just picking random answers instead. FWIW
Many of them have calculations but that is something to consider. Thank you!
Quote from: cc_alan on May 30, 2019, 06:34:56 AM
Quote from: marshwiggle on May 30, 2019, 04:21:28 AM
Quote from: cc_alan on May 29, 2019, 01:23:59 PM
Quote from: the_geneticist on May 22, 2019, 09:41:15 AM
Policy: Brief quiz at the start of every lab.
How it makes life easier: Students are well-motivated to come to lab having read the materials AND they show up on time.
We used to do this but stopped because of the amount of time required (as in they obviously weren't brief enough!). We currently have prelab assignments but some students just don't put the time into it.
Our "new"* goal is to do the quizzes/prelabs through the cms and allow students an unlimited number of tries to earn 100%. We hope this increases the student buy-in and gives us better prepared students in lab.
"new"* because it's not really a new goal. We just have had sooooo much free time to implement it.
I give 3 tries; another colleague tried giving unlimited tries and claimed students didn't bother reading but just picking random answers instead. FWIW
Many of them have calculations but that is something to consider. Thank you!
I don't ask students to do any calculations on the quiz. It's 4-6 questions on key terms, key figures, key concepts for the lab. Very basic stuff if they read the lab manual. Questions are multiple choice, true/false, add a label to a diagram, define a term, etc. so they are easy to grade as well.
I love larryc's policies. What's a good humane policy for late work? In a course with a scaffolded writing assignment, I can't just let students turn things in whenever they want, because I want them to get feedback on their paper proposal and bibliography before they write the paper, for example.
Quote from: bibliothecula on June 27, 2019, 11:56:50 AM
I love larryc's policies. What's a good humane policy for late work? In a course with a scaffolded writing assignment, I can't just let students turn things in whenever they want, because I want them to get feedback on their paper proposal and bibliography before they write the paper, for example.
My policy is a sliding scale with a 10% penalty per day late, with a 5-day maximum. My experience with this at two different institutions has been that most students will still do the work on-time because they don't want the late penalty, the ones who submit late still get feedback that they can incorporate into future assignments, and there's less whining compared to "no late work, ever." I do occasionally get requests for blanket exemptions (ie, students who want to turn in late work without penalty), which I seldom grant unless they have documentation of a true emergency.
Quote from: bibliothecula on June 27, 2019, 11:56:50 AM
I love larryc's policies. What's a good humane policy for late work? In a course with a scaffolded writing assignment, I can't just let students turn things in whenever they want, because I want them to get feedback on their paper proposal and bibliography before they write the paper, for example.
I've found that it works better than you would think to just let their be a natural consequence with scaffolded assignments. I think the trick is to not announce that there won't be a grade penalty for late work. That might be too much temptation. Just say its due and then you'll give back the feedback. If someone writes me to ask for an extension, i might give it, but point out they should get it in soon so I can get it back to them. If they turn the thing in really late, then they don't get my feedback. I've found the overwhelming majority of students stick to the deadline.
Re: late work, I think I found my policy on the old fora. I accept "no late work, ever" but offer 2-3 drop grades (depending) for small assignments (homework, class work) and one 48-hour extension (72 for some classes, depending on day of the week) that students can use on any large assignment (paper, project) except the final. If a student emails ahead of time about an extension, I ask if they'd like to use the single extension or save it for a later occasion. If they email "oops, I forgot" after the fact, I ask the same thing. Sometimes they choose to use it, in which case they know they are out of chances. Sometimes they choose to save it (my assignments generally increase in value over the semester).
I also have a policy for unplanned major life events that the 72-hour extension would not solve (death in the family, hospitalization, deployment, etc.). I offer to work with students to set new deadlines if these or similar events occur. They have to meet with me in person, and we discuss, write out, and photocopy the new deadlines.
AR.
Policy: Drop the lowest 3 of 8 quizzes, replace the worst non-final exam score with the quiz average (unless the quiz average is lower).
How it makes life easier: As with previous posters, I get less flak about makeup tests (but must, per college policy, allow them for some students); and less flak about making up quizzes (again, as allowed by college policy).
In addition, the quizzes are worth 20 points; only counting five of them means that I just add the 5 best quiz grades to get a number from 0 to 100, so it is directly comparable to a test grade.
I am going to experiment with shorter daily quizzes (2 pts. each) because that will encourage attendance. I can print these on half-sheets of paper, so it doesn't use up much more paper than the old method, still allows for multiple versions, and is quick to grade (with each quiz being 0, 1, or 2 points). I did this in another class with fair success, so perhaps I can do it in my other classes.
A new one for me--
Policy: "Oops" - two low-stakes assignments can be turned in late (although within a week of when due) without penalty as long as the student lets me know that it will be late and when I will get it. After that, late assignments have defined late penalties, including not being accepted at all after a week.
How it makes life easier: I don't have to judge excuses; it's just "oops." Also, (I hope) it establishes that, while some assignments have more leeway, such leeway is limited and written into the policies rather than being available if students beg enough.
Quote from: bibliothecula on June 27, 2019, 11:56:50 AM
I love larryc's policies. What's a good humane policy for late work? In a course with a scaffolded writing assignment, I can't just let students turn things in whenever they want, because I want them to get feedback on their paper proposal and bibliography before they write the paper, for example.
For a long time, I have attached a BIG grade penalty (-2/3 grade) for not submitting a rough draft on time. Rough drafts get feedback but no grade, low stakes writing, so most students finish *something* by that first deadline.
Then when students have to submit their final draft (at least 4 days later), they already have a full draft they've been working on, and 99.9% of the time, there is no problem submitting some kind of revised final draft promptly.
*Hint: I have never actually applied the 2/3-grade penalty. . . if the student misses a 10:00 am deadline for the Rough Draft, I say, "just get me something by the end of the day, you'll be fine." That's usually enough time for them to crank out something.
Btw: I stole that idea from someone more clever than I a very long time ago
In my upper level classes (n20 or less), you can make up one of my two mid-terms with one of my infamous oral exams either at a convenient time for me or on dead day, no questions asked, as long as you ask within 24 hours of the exam. I don't have to police excuses. Slept through your alarm for my 1pm class? No problem. The oral exam takes very little of my time, and is really hard. But no one complains, and people tend not to make up silly excuses in order to get the reprieve and I even get credit for being accommodating, but the person who slept through the mid-term invariably gets a bad grade on the oral, too.
One of my courses has five small assignments and a final project with six components. Any small assignment submitted within three days of due date may be used as a project component, with students having option to use as originally submitted or revised. In the last dozen years, I've had one student miss the three day extension, due to serious car accident.
For all my courses, assignments are due Friday. No penalty if they submit before class begins on Monday, 25 percent penalty per day thereafter. About 75 percent submit on Friday, the rest trickle in over weekend. I've never had to apply the penalty.
Final projects get a one point bonus for each day they're submitted early, with a maximum of 5 bonus points. That can move a student from a high B to a low A on the project, which is half of course grade. I get a few early projects each semester, always from my better students.
I have a combination of strategies built up over time.
Pre-labs are due at the start of lab. 5 points each, adds up to same value as a midterm over the quarter. Late or missing = 0. In reality, we give them a 5 minute grace period. The benefit is that students are more likely to show up on time and to have gone through the protocol. The most recent new students need to learn "classes start on time".
For my molecular classes, the prelab is to draw a flowchart of the protocol for the day. It makes them consider what equipment they will use, how long steps will take, and the logistics (label 4 plates, get 2 types of buffer, etc).
Lab worksheets are handed out at the start of lab and due before you leave. Why? So I don't have to track down assignments from 800+ students or worry about things like handing it in to the wrong TA, having assignments slid under my door, etc.
The first week has an "upload a labeled figure". Why? So they can learn how to submit an online assignment when it's easy and I know they know how to do it. Later, when the uploaded figure is needed for their research project they already have the skill.
Online assignments can be turned in late with 10% penalty per 24 hours. Simple to put into the LMS settings, automatically applied, and makes me look really nice since I tell them they can still turn it in. What they don't realize is that after 10 days, it's so late it's 0 points. "You can turn it in for comments, but it's so late it's not going to earn points". Really reduces the "can I turn in [assignment that was due weeks ago] to raise my grade?" requests.
While I do use a rubric, I make it very detailed, and assign points to each requirement. Why? Because first of all, it forces me to think about the relative importance of each requirement in advance, which speeds up my grading time. And secondly, it reduces arguments over the grade. Instead of arguing over the points taken off for "poor code design", for example, I break it down into things like "consistent public interface", "classes have a clear purpose", or "no spaghetti code" (yes, this is a programming class). It is easy to point to the offending parts of the program and explain why the giant loop with multiple exit points based on obscure flags buried all over the loop body constitutes "spaghetti code"